Column

To the best of my memory, I’ve had conversations with only a couple of my Dutch classmates. Why? Because I had only a couple of Dutch classmates! However, I am told that this wasn’t always the case. Unbelievable as it may seem, about ten years ago the situation at TU Delft was just the reverse. This begs the question: have technical universities in the Netherlands started to prefer foreign students from emerging economies? Or is it just that they are being forced to, because of the trend of Dutch students choosing other seemingly more lucrative careers in business administration, law and such?

Ironically, the birthplace of Calvinism is fast becoming another place, where the media culture is taking a stronghold. This has become overly apparent with millionaire game shows on TV, fancy cars on the road, and gambling organizations selling themselves by calling me at home. Self-gratification has clearly replaced the concept of pursuing one’s calling in life. The end result is people thronging for an entrance into what they perceive to be a flamboyant lifestyle. Flamboyance and affluence are not things commonly associated with a career in Engineering.

The key here is perception. A career in engineering can be just as flamboyant as you make it to be, but how many perceive that to be the case? It is true that traditional industry does seem to reward other professions as compared to engineering, and that’s a pity. But reality is that there’s a lot more scope in engineering outside of theoretical research and the service sector. Even TV shows like Delft Blauw do not do justice to the possibilities that a background in engineering has to offer. There is simply not enough visibility given to those entrepreneurs who owe their success to engineering. The same holds true for the good work done in flood hit areas by Dutch engineers who specialize in water management. This being the case . where are the role models? What is out there to inspire the choice of spending a lifetime as an engineer?

It’s a very convenient option taken by universities like TU Delft to look to other countries – along the lines of China and India . for providing the engineering talent needed to feed the local industry. But when most of us plan to return to our own countries or travel elsewhere to pursue our goals, it’s only a matter of time before the Netherlands loses its capability to create and compete in the world. That would indeed be a sad fate for the country that once prided itself on its engineering capability. When will universities and the Dutch government realize that they can’t attract native students by lowering their admission criteria, or by making the course fees negligible?

The bottom line . better change the perception about engineering to fit that of a lucrative career option, or else prepare for its extinction here!

Ramesh Chidambaram is from India. He is an MSc micro-electronics student at TU Delft.

I’ve become very accustomed to people asking me why I don’t speak Dutch after having studied at TU Delft for two years. Quite simply . I didn’t have to. To the best of my memory, I’ve had conversations with only a couple of my Dutch classmates. Why? Because I had only a couple of Dutch classmates! However, I am told that this wasn’t always the case. Unbelievable as it may seem, about ten years ago the situation at TU Delft was just the reverse. This begs the question: have technical universities in the Netherlands started to prefer foreign students from emerging economies? Or is it just that they are being forced to, because of the trend of Dutch students choosing other seemingly more lucrative careers in business administration, law and such?

Ironically, the birthplace of Calvinism is fast becoming another place, where the media culture is taking a stronghold. This has become overly apparent with millionaire game shows on TV, fancy cars on the road, and gambling organizations selling themselves by calling me at home. Self-gratification has clearly replaced the concept of pursuing one’s calling in life. The end result is people thronging for an entrance into what they perceive to be a flamboyant lifestyle. Flamboyance and affluence are not things commonly associated with a career in Engineering.

The key here is perception. A career in engineering can be just as flamboyant as you make it to be, but how many perceive that to be the case? It is true that traditional industry does seem to reward other professions as compared to engineering, and that’s a pity. But reality is that there’s a lot more scope in engineering outside of theoretical research and the service sector. Even TV shows like Delft Blauw do not do justice to the possibilities that a background in engineering has to offer. There is simply not enough visibility given to those entrepreneurs who owe their success to engineering. The same holds true for the good work done in flood hit areas by Dutch engineers who specialize in water management. This being the case . where are the role models? What is out there to inspire the choice of spending a lifetime as an engineer?

It’s a very convenient option taken by universities like TU Delft to look to other countries – along the lines of China and India . for providing the engineering talent needed to feed the local industry. But when most of us plan to return to our own countries or travel elsewhere to pursue our goals, it’s only a matter of time before the Netherlands loses its capability to create and compete in the world. That would indeed be a sad fate for the country that once prided itself on its engineering capability. When will universities and the Dutch government realize that they can’t attract native students by lowering their admission criteria, or by making the course fees negligible?

The bottom line . better change the perception about engineering to fit that of a lucrative career option, or else prepare for its extinction here!

Ramesh Chidambaram is from India. He is an MSc micro-electronics student at TU Delft.